The Choir
Background The Choir is a race steeped and indoctrinated by its religion. The entire planet worships the same God they call "The Champion" with unyielding loyalty and ferocity. Over the many years of their existence, they have become increasingly militaristic. Their religion is extremely reflective of Christianity, holding much of the same values, faith, and structure system, but with obviously different points of origin. 6,000 years ago, before The Choir was a unified race, it was lead by an overbearing dictator who proclaimed to his subjects that he, and he alone, was the most powerful force in the universe. The Choir was in very bad shape at the time and had barely advanced into its own space age. Its people were poor and in shambles, forced to give most of what they earned to their dictator who used resources frivolously and without direction. A day came when the dictator was beating some of his servants outside when a large bright object broke through the atmosphere. It hurtled toward the dictator at such speed and ferocity, striking him down, crushing him and his subjects. It is said, a Being walked out of the object, unharmed by the impact. The Being then healed the crushed servants but left the dictator for dead. The Being was lauded as the People's Champion for freeing The Choir from the dark embrace of the dictator. The Choir have worshiped the Being as their deity ever since. Big Brother Choir They Choir is an inherently good well-to-do race. They allied with the Ejioz race a century ago and have been like a "big brother" protector for them ever since. The Choir and the Ejioz share similar religious beliefs. The Ejioz are not as militaristic like The Choir, but they do provide assistance to them. They offer their expertise to The Choir in the form of extremely effective guerrilla warfare tactics, while The Choir provides the Ejioz with advanced weaponry and galactic protection. Government The Choir is a theocratic race. Most of their laws are derived from the values explained in their sacred tome, "The Dominion." Laws derived from The Dominion are considered to be divine. Breaking enough of these laws or breaking a more serious one will see the offender excommunicated from The Choir. An excommunicated member of The Choir is forced to leave the planet and is banished from ever returning. Most excommunicated members find themselves among the Ejioz. Even the ones cast out by society still find a way to serve The Champion by serving The Choir indirectly; a powerful example of the devotion of The Choir. Heads of the religion, known as "The Ascended," decide what is best for the race based on what they believe The Champion would task them to do. The Ascended are responsible for making decisions about war as well. If there is enough Just cause for The Choir to enter into a conflict, The Ascended will command it. Firepower Members of the military are viewed as the Right Hand of The Champion, carrying out His will, in His name, and in His honor. The full might of a their very powerful military is second only to that of the SA-85's. The newly invasive human race is still a considerable opponent, but as of now, there has not been a shot fired in anger between the two races. Military Might The Choir is famous for its use of blitzkrieg-like tactics to vanquish their enemies on the battlefield. They are extremely fast and effective at moving units into and out of battle, allowing them to outflank their enemies and overwhelm them very quickly. Their space ships are fitted with mini-hyper drives that give their crafts the ability to "blink" around within the atmosphere of planets and moons and in space. The Choir has harnessed the power of gravity to give them a distinct advantage in combat. They can drop units from space at extreme speeds by increasing their own gravitational pull towards the ground and then immediately reversing polarity just before impact. The extreme violence from the tactic is nullified by the sturdy power armor utilized by ground forces. They can also use gravity both offensively and defensively. A well placed shot from a Grav-Cannon can crumple enemy armor under its own weight. The Choir has also developed Grav- Shield generators. Grav-Shields envelope entrenched units, protecting them from incoming enemy fire. Most missile systems go haywire, either exploding after they reach the field or twisting and winding off target. Projectiles are affected as well after passing through the Grav-Shield, often falling harmlessly to the ground meters in front of their targets. Melee units called Archangels, have gravity mods applied to their power armor. This allows them to surf at extreme speed toward their targets and engage them with devastating Grav-Hammers, Grav-Swords, and Grav-Axes. A blow from an Archangel Grav-Shield will also crumple a target in place. Their power armor is very bulky but can dole out lots of damage and take plenty in return. Ranged units called Principalities pepper their targets with admittedly inaccurate blaster fire from their heavy repeater rifles. The free floating barrels wobble and vibrate chaotically, but the sheer volume of fire pins units in place, which provides openings for units like Archangels to move in and finish the job. Thrones and Virtues comprise most of their armor core. Instead of tank tracks or wheels, they repel gravity and hover over terrain which makes them extremely maneuverable and deadly. Their main workhorse air power has the designation of Seraphim. Seraphim are hybrid gunship, transport, air support, long range bomber, and stealth fighter all in one sturdy package. To tangle with a combination of Seraphim, Thrones, and Virtues on the battlefield is a very daunting task.